I saw a man kicking his dog in broad daylight on Academy & Union
Trigger warning: Animal Abuse and NSWF
I was driving north on Union today approaching Academy and saw a man in a maroon shirt with dark shaggy hair kick his staffie/pit bull (white and grey). He then screamed at the dog, kicked it once more into a pile of rocks, and then picked it up by the back of the neck.
My girlfriend and I whipped around in our car and rolled down our window and offered to take the dog from him. As we rolled the window down, he was walking and holding the dog’s face right up to his. He yelled repeatedly “pussy, pussy, pussy” into the dog’s face.
When we said “we’ll take your dog to the humane society,” to him. He began shouting at us and walked away.
We immediately called law enforcement, and as we were calling them, he disappeared. We circled the neighborhood in our call for 20 minutes until we eventually found him.
We stayed within eyesight of him until an Animal Control officer got out there. They began conducting a wellness check on the dog/man. Talked with him for about 10 mins, and then the man got up, and tried to get his dog to walk with him.
The dog clearly is terrified of this man and dug its heels into the ground. He then resorts to picking the dog up and slings it over his shoulder and starts walking down Templeton Gap Trail south.
At this point, the officer begins to lose this guy, and my girlfriend and I follow him. First by car, then, on foot. I followed him for two miles walking 100 yards behind him on Tenpleton Gap Trail heading south.
While I’m following him, I’m on the phone with the officer as he’s trying to locate the man and his dog. He’s trying to get his Sargeant to help locate the man so they can handle the issue together.
Along the trail as the man is walking, he initially tried to get his dog to walk. The dog was reluctant, he dragged it by the leash, and then eventually slung him over his shoulder again. After a while, he gets the dog to walk and they probably walked 1.5 miles+ side by side as I followed them.
After over an hour of following him by myself while texting the officers his coordinates and remaining on the phone with them, I eventually connect with the two officers in-person on the trail and from there, I think my job is done.
They start following the man down the trail for like 5 mins. The man then starts running, and the officers stopped following him. They said because they “can’t see that the dog is truly injured or in immediate danger, there’s nothing they can do at this point and that they might try and go the legal route to get him.” I understand that this is the legal procedure, it’s just disappointing.
They have his name, they have our witness statement, and I emailed them the videos that I took of the man, none of which contain cold hard evidence that the dog is actively being abused, although to me the dog is clearly limping in the videos.
I’m frustrated because I thought we could help this dog (and hopefully the man, who’s clearly mentally ill and according to the officer “wasn’t making any sense” when he initially was talking with him).
If you see this man doing ANYTHING illegal, please report him to animal control (the number is 719-473-1714) and try to get video/photographic evidence of a crime.
The officers are working to get actual PD involved if they can, but don’t have a ton to go off of as of right now.
Attached are photo screenshots from the videos I took of him, in case it’s helpful in identifying him. Not sure there’s anything else I can do at this point and I’m bummed that we didn’t reach a safe resolution for the dog, especially after hunting for and tailing this man on foot for over two hours. We live up in Denver and we’re down here for the day visiting family are headed back up now.
Please DM me if you see him or can help me rescue this dog legally. Time for bed lol
UPDATE: I just got off the phone with the animal control officer and they tailed him in a car for a while after we left. They were hoping to snatch the dog from him but because the dog never left his clutches, they didn’t have an opportunity to do so.
They are going to contact me tomorrow file a formal witness statement. They have his name and are working to see if he has any active warrants or court dates/cases. I appreciate the work they are doing
I will update this post as I get more updates. Now it’s really time for bed haha. Hug your dogs tonight for me, there’s one out there that really needs one.